Gemberling v. Novak

147 N.E.2d 240, 128 Ind. App. 468, 1958 Ind. App. LEXIS 121
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedJanuary 21, 1958
DocketNo. 18,858
StatusPublished

This text of 147 N.E.2d 240 (Gemberling v. Novak) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gemberling v. Novak, 147 N.E.2d 240, 128 Ind. App. 468, 1958 Ind. App. LEXIS 121 (Ind. Ct. App. 1958).

Opinion

Bowen, J.

This is an appeal from a judgment in an action brought for the partition of real estate.

The appellee and appellant were previously married and divorced. In the complaint in two paragraphs filed in the court below, the appellee claimed to be the owner of an undivided thirty-five per cent interest in the real estate in question by virtue of a judgment and order of the LaPorte Superior Court granting a divorce to the appellant and settling the property rights of the parties. The second paragraph of complaint alleged that ap-pellee had a judgment and lien against the real estate and asked for a money judgment. The appellant filed a demurrer to each separate paragraph of the complaint and the court overruled appellant’s demurrer to paragraph one of appellee’s complaint, which action is assigned as error in this appeal, and the court sustained appellant’s demurrer to paragraph two of ap-pellee’s complaint, and judgment was entered against the appellee for failure to plead over as to such paragraph two. Appellant filed answer to appellee’s paragraph one of the complaint in which she denied the allegations of such paragraph of appellee’s complaint except the allegation as to a certain mortgage interest which is not in question in this appeal.

Trial was had by the court without intervention of a jury and the court entered a decree and judgment ordering partition and sale of appellant’s real estate. In its decree and judgment the court set out that the appellee, Harry Novak, was the owner of the undivided thirty-five per cent of the real estate in question as a tenant in common, and that the appellant, Helene Novak Gemberling, was the owner of an undivided sixty-five per cent of the real estate in question; that such real estate was indivisible and not susceptible of [470]*470partition and cannot be divided among the owners thereof, and that sale should be made and the proceeds distributed in accordance with the rights and interests of the parties as found by the court. The judgment provided that the property be sold by a commissioner upon the conditions ordered by the court.

The appellant filed her motion for a new trial which was overruled and this appeal followed. The grounds of such motion for a new trial were that the decision of the court is not sustained by sufficient evidence and is contrary to law, that the court erred in overruling certain objections to the introduction of evidence, and the court erred in overruling appellant’s motion for a finding in favor of such appellant at the close of ap-pellee’s evidence, and that the court erred in overruling the demurrer of the appellant to appellee’s paragraph one of the complaint. Errors assigned in this court for reversal are that the court erred in overruling appellant’s motion for a new trial and that the court erred in overruling the demurrer of appellant to ap-pellee’s first paragraph of complaint.

From the evidence and the record before us in this case it appears that the appellant and appellees were formerly husband and wife; that they were divorced on August 15, 1950, by the decree and judgment of Special Judge J. A. Fleishbein, of the LaPorte Superior Court, which judgment and decree, in addition to dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties and granting the appellant a divorce, further found, adjudged and determined as follows:

“The court further finds that the plaintiff is the owner in fee simple of (describing the real estate) and the dwelling house situate thereon, which she acquired sometime prior to her marriage to the defendant herein. The court also finds that during the marriage of the parties herein the defendant rendered considerable services and furnished part [471]*471of the necessary material in the remodeling of the old dwelling house situate on the above described real estate, by reason of which the value of plaintiff’s property has been substantially increased. That the defendant purchased a few articles of household furniture, which are in the possession of plaintiff.
“The court further finds that the defendant is the owner of (describing the real estate in question) and a garage situate thereon and one automobile, which is in the possession of defendant.
“That plaintiff is the owner of all furniture in the possession of the parties herein. That the defendant is the owner of the automobile in the possession of the parties herein.
“And the court further finds that in order to do equity between the parties herein plaintiff’s said real estate should be divided in the following manner and proportions, to-wit: 65% in value to plaintiff and 35% in value to defendant, subject to outstanding mortgage and debts thereon, if any. And each of them shall have a lien on the above described real estate of plaintiff for her or his respective interest therein.”

By the assigned errors we are called upon to determine whether or not the appellee possessed such an interest in the real estate in question by virtue of such judgment of the LaPorte Superior Court which would entitle him to a partition of such real estate under the statutes providing for partition in this state.

Our Indiana partition statute is §3-2401, Burns’ 1946 Replacement, and it provides that “Any person holding lands as joint tenant or tenant-in-common, whether in his own right or as executor or trustee, may compel partition thereof in the manner provided in this act. . . .”

This court, in a previous action between the parties hereto, Novak, etc. v. Novak (1956), 126 Ind. App. 428, 133 N. E. 2d 578, in a suit brought by the appellant [472]*472to quiet her title to the real estate in question, upheld the holding of the lower court that the appellant was not entitled to quiet her title to the real estate in question and in such opinion recited the provisions of the divorce decree which are in evidence in the instant case, and stated:

“ . . . appellee was undoubtedly awarded by the trial court a record interest in appellant’s real estate. . . . The divorce decree which adjudged the respective interests of these parties in appellant’s real estate remained unattacked until this date except' by this collateral attack. . . .
“A divorce decree terminates the marital obligations and by the very nature of the litigation, all property rights growing out of such relations, are likewise settled and included in such proceedings. A divorce decree is conclusive upon all questions pertaining to the property rights of the parties affected thereby. Nicholson v. Nicholson (1888), 113 Ind. 131, 15 N. E. 223.
“The judgment rendered in the LaPorte Superior Court could have been more aptly and definitely worded and provision could have been made for the transferring of the respective interests of the parties; however, the parties affected thereby made no objection thereto, accepted the benefits thereof, and such judgment cannot now be set aside or modified in a collateral manner.”

A determination of the questions presented in this case requires a consideration of the power of the court under the law of this state to set off interests in real estate to the respective spouses.

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Related

NOVAK, ETC. v. Novak
133 N.E.2d 578 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1956)
Gray v. Miller
106 N.E.2d 709 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1952)
Wolcott v. Wigton
7 Ind. 44 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1855)
Godfrey v. Godfrey
17 Ind. 6 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1861)
Nicholson v. Nicholson
15 N.E. 223 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1888)
Coquillard v. Coquillard
113 N.E. 474 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1916)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
147 N.E.2d 240, 128 Ind. App. 468, 1958 Ind. App. LEXIS 121, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gemberling-v-novak-indctapp-1958.